Report looks at Austin Water leaks, losses that could fill 12,000 Olympic pools
Leaks and inefficiencies throughout the local water system cause Austin Water to lose more than 8 billion gallons per year – enough to fill 12,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The loss totals were some of the findings from a recent outside…
Water • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 8, 2024
Community-based public safety program reaches out to overlooked and underserved Austinites
Urban Alchemy, a national nonprofit, has been awarded a $2 million federal grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The grant will expand an initiative to create a replicable model to reduce crime and bolster resilience through community intervention. As part…
Public Safety • By Mina Shekarchi • Oct 8, 2024
Doug Greco brings organizing energy to Austin’s mayoral race
Clad in a “Vote for Greco” T-shirt – a style that evokes “Vote for Pedro” from Napoleon Dynamite – Doug Greco may be an underdog candidate, but his campaign is infused with the grassroots energy that has defined his career…
Elections • By Madeline de Figueiredo • Oct 8, 2024
Austin post offices drop out of plan to host voter registration drive today
Local post offices across Travis County have reversed a plan that would have allowed residents to register to vote on-site today. Oct. 7 is the last day for Texans to register for the Nov. 5 election. With the help of…
Elections • By Luz Moreno-Lozano, KUT • Oct 7, 2024
OK from Planning Commission sets up Council consideration for creative space incentives
The Planning Commission’s recent support for an incentive program for creative spaces in new developments gave City Council additional direction for how to address affordability for local arts spaces and the workers in those industries. Council is slated to conduct…
Planning • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 7, 2024
Carmen Llanes Pulido vows to bring inclusive leadership to City Hall
Carmen Llanes Pulido may be the youngest candidate in the five-way race for mayor, but the lifelong Austinite with activism in her DNA arguably has the most boots-on-the-ground experience in the city’s grassroots arena. As the executive director of the…
Elections • By Amy Smith • Oct 7, 2024
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East Austin bids adieu to another historic bungalow
After a century on East Austin’s Cotton Street, a little blue Craftsman bungalow is finally biting the dust, with new owners getting the go-ahead from the city’s Historic Landmark Commission to proceed with demolition. A different outcome seemed possible just…
Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Oct 7, 2024
Housing and Planning Committee recommends City Council prioritize housing for seniors and people with disabilities
City Council’s Housing and Planning Committee voted Tuesday to recommend that Council adopt a resolution to explore prioritizing city-owned land for the development of housing for seniors and people with disabilities. The recommendation included exploring cooperative housing and community land…
Development • By Madeline de Figueiredo • Oct 4, 2024
SOS variance for aquifer development fails to win Environmental Commission support
A proposal to initiate an amendment to the Save Our Springs Ordinance to increase the allowable amount of impervious cover over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone failed to win the Environmental Commission’s support Wednesday. Impervious cover is any human-made surface…
Development • By Amy Smith • Oct 4, 2024
Realtors join Broadnax in push to revamp city processes in favor of density
Real estate leaders and the city’s top executive see potential in the city’s recent slates of code changes for land use and building, but agreed that implementing those changes effectively will be what determines their success in addressing Austin’s rising…
Development • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 4, 2024
Revised Thornton Road rezoning gets first reading approval
After a surprise change in the requested zoning, City Council approved on first reading a much smaller zoning change for a 4-acre site on Thornton Road in South Austin. The property sits in District 5, and Council Member Ryan Alter…
Development • By Jo Clifton • Oct 4, 2024
City Council resolution requiring bollard installations at medical facilities could prevent future tragedies
Following a tragic accident at St. David’s North Austin Medical Center on Feb. 13, City Council responded in July by unanimously approving a resolution to enhance safety measures at medical facilities by requiring installation of bollards at entrances. This week,…
